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Award Winning Designers Debut New Collections

25th September 2013 Two collections we eagerly anticipate seeing this weekend in Paris are Rolf Spectacles from Austria, and the Swedish designer Anna-Karin Karlsson. Both the Rolf Team and Anna-Karin have won international awards for their unique eyewear, and now they are showing new, innovative designs crafted with even more precision and the finest details. Rolf is launching “advanced/horn” (above) an ingenious creation of select horn plates from water buffalos with an inner wooden core. The result is a harmonic symbiosis that ensures a unique and timeless design, crafted entirely in-house in the Tyrol. www.rolfspectacles.com

Following the success of her impressive and stylish sunglasses, Anna-Karin Karlsson is showing her first optical collection. The bold, strong shapes that characterize Karlsson’s beautiful sun range are equally stunning in optical designs. “Down Lush Boulevard” is an artistic expression in silky black acetate and gold mesh. Luxurious, feminine and striking. www.annakarinkarlsson.com JG

Rigards

24th September 2013 Fine buffalo horn is having a moment. Its attractive, sustainable, natural qualities, comfort and luxurious colourings have long been popular in eyewear. It is a material that requires craftsmanship and skill in the making, just as it did for antique eyewear, and while traditionally associated with classical frame design – most examples are on the theme of of round horn rimmed glasses, often with gold – it is re-emerging in new forms and modern interpretations.

Launched in 2012, Rigards specialises in horn frames with an avantgarde, nonconformist look – a handmade label, as it says itself, on a mission to rediscover the hidden treasures of horn eyewear. Style RG0048 (above) launching this week, is typical of their handcrafted designs, using the finest buffalo horn from small African farms – and tooled by a single craftsperson from start to finish using tried and tested tools and traditional methods. The frame shapes are always distinctive and special details prevail; this round-rim silhouette, for example, is complemented by a subtle “third-eye” on the top of the bridge, inspired by Erlang Shen, a heroic Taoist deity and Indian god in Buddhist scriptures known for his truth-seeing third eye in the middle of the forehead.

Launching a new website tomorrow (25th September), Rigards exhibits its new styles including RG0048 this week in two locations in Paris; at Silmo and Femme SS2014, Galerie De Thorigny (Sept. 28th to October 3rd 2013). The label is one of the shortlisted finalists in the Hall of Frames / Eyestylist Newcomer Award 2013 which will be announced in Stuttgart in October. www.rigards.com CN

labels showing in Paris

23rd September 2013 Who is new in Paris this week? Among the handful of specialist eyewear labels showing for the first time is designer Jesse Stevens’s label Finest Seven, a British-made collection that we first encountered in 2011. (Designer of the Month: https://www.eyestylist.com/2011/07/jesse-stevens/). For its Silmo debut, Finest Seven will launch a new fine buffalo horn edition featuring two shapes each produced in three natural horn colours, light, medium and dark. Meanwhile, their chic and totally covetable acetate designs such as ZERO 05 in tangerine (pictured) remain central to the collection. With vintage 7 layer hinges, Zeiss lenses, cool iconic shapes and limited production – they are produced in special editions of 100 pieces per colour in the UK – these are designs that bring a modern edginess to luxury eyewear produced in the traditional way.  www.finestseven.com

I also look forward to seeing the latest releases at British label Fan Optics whose first frames I was introduced to by McClintock Eyewear in Covent Garden. Inspired by a love of modern design and fashion culture, as well as having a huge passion for specs, FAN founders Sarah Coburn and Guillaume Furminger tell me they have introduced new charismatic shapes to show in Paris, and fresh colourways for their bestselling styles such as Brock, which you can expect to see in statement black and pearl with gold detailing, sounding spectacular! www.fanoptics.co.uk

Massada Eyewear, led by designer Kate Lupinsky, will also be making their debut at the Paris optics show. Their latest collection includes some eye-catching sunglass shapes such as Lust.Caution!, some with cool mirrored lenses and a selection of classically inspired opticals working with Italian materials. We’ll be taking a closer look. Massada won a prestigious IOFT award in Tokyo for their 30s inspired style  “The Graduate” in the Ladies’ Category.  www.massadaeyewear.com CN

Lively Tones and Chic Shapes

20th September 2013 Our previews of eyewear to be released next week reveal that beautiful colour harmonies highlight the collections. We love the new colour mix at Face à Face (above Poppy 2) in delicious sugar plum tones. Also note the gorgeous shape – an elegant cat eye, slightly exaggerated for even more style impact. www.faceaface-paris.com

An injection of lively neon tones is also prevalent – Italian designers Guya Montermini and Ciro Tugnoli at Blue Magic Eye express delightful Italian “dolce  vita” with Flippo, in happy tones of shiny pink acetate. Handmade in Italy, a retro ambience is evident in the finely crafted shape. www.bluemagiceye.com

JF Rey’s BOZ collection includes this sleek, uncluttered cat eye geometry in fresh, radiant red. The smooth satin finish adds a lovely lustrous touch to the frame. www.jfrey.fr JG